MRC Student of the Month - April 2000

Vyshali Belagodu

(Junior - Computer Engineering)

"Try Something Unsual & Different - Find Your New Passion"

"WOW!" was the only word uttered by twelve students as we entered the Escalante National Monument. While my friends spent their spring break in New Orleans, Florida, or their hometowns, I was in Utah, backpacking with the Penn State Outing Club.

This year, my friend, Kaydee, and I decided to spend our spring break doing something we had never done before. Most people thought I was crazy for going on a ten-day backpacking trip with ten strangers (especially when I had never camped or backpacked before), but after much debate I decided to do it.

Once we made the decision to go backpacking, we decided to learn more about it; so we signed up for two weekend-long backpacking trips offered earlier in the semester. After experiencing my first weekend trip, however, I was having serious doubts about the spring break trip. "If I barely made it through beginners weekend," I thought, "how am I going to make it through an advanced, ten-day trip?"

I almost backed out from the spring break trip, but I remembered that my goal was to experience something different - whether I was successful at it or not. I talked to people with prior backpacking experience and to the trip leaders; and after gathering all of the information, I decided to sign the non-refundable check. There would be no turning back!

As it turned out, going on this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made. In many ways it was very educational. First, Escalante was the most amazing place one could imagine. The scenery was so breathtaking that I could not decide in which areas to take pictures. 

We encountered some difficulties during the trip, such as waking up to six inches of snow, (when it hadn't snowed in the desert in fifteen years), and getting our fifteen-passenger van, plus a u-haul, towed off the road for three hours. But, since the location helped us feel relaxed and peaceful, these difficulties simply brought the group closer together.

Second, the wide variety of people in the group made the trip memorable. I learned about topics such as fertilizers, acoustics, rock formations and compositions. Also how to use a compass, read maps, and solve a Rubik's cube. But more importantly, I learned about working together, helping one another, and making decisions as a group.

I am always up for an adventure, but this was the best one yet. After taking this trip, my advice to you is "don't be afraid to take a risk and try something unusual." You never know - you might just find your new passion. I did!

For more information on the Penn State Outing Club, visit them in Room 8, IM Building, or call 865-2472.

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